Time to go national
EGALE supports Canadian lesbigay group
Did you ever wonder why just about every community in Canada is
represented by a national organization except ours?
EGALE has long supported the view that Canadian queers need a
national group to represent their interests. EGALE members were
involved in putting this issue on the table at the Vancouver
OUTRIGHTS conference in October 1992. We believe it's time for our
communities to get moving on this initiative.
Canada's lesbian, gay and bisexual communities urgently need a
unified voice on national issues. Last year, for example, while a
number of queer groups expressed their views on constitutional
reform, there was no single voice speaking for our communities and
no forum for arriving at a consensus position.
It is no longer good enough to await random initiatives by local
groups and individuals.
The results of the EGALE questionnaire make it painfully obvious
that most politicians are woefully ignorant about the issues that
concern our communities.
To continue with the status quo means we will continue to be
ignored.
An agenda for change
Our communities need to develop an agenda for change which
reflects our desire to eradicate homophobia. Acting in solidarity
across Canada would ensure that our issues are taken more seriously
by those in a position to effect change.
There is clearly a need for better communication among activists
and groups in all parts of the country. A national group could
serve as a centre for information-sharing, and as a focal point for
Canada-wide political action. Such a group might establish an
information clearing house and electronic communication networks,
for example.
Ideally EGALE would like to see a national organization of
groups, coalitions and individuals based on the inclusive models of
the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, or the
Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario.
We believe its primary decision-making body should be a national
conference of members every two years that would elect a
representative board of directors. It would eventually have a full-
time president, full-time staff, and an office in Ottawa.
Challenges to overcome
We are well aware that there are challenges to overcome in
establishing such an organization in a country of great regional
and linguistic diversity. But we are confident in our communities'
ability to address these challenges. Working together, we can be
more than the sum of our parts.
As an Ottawa-based community group focusing primarily on federal
issues, EGALE is doing its best to distribute information and to
keep important federal issues alive. But we have neither the
resources nor the mandate to act as a national group.
The next OUTRIGHTS conference will hopefully be held in 1994.
EGALE believes this could be the ideal opportunity to launch a
national group. Please contact EGALE if you are interested in
supporting this endeavour. We'll be glad to put you in touch with
regional contact persons who are coordinating efforts to establish
a national lesbigay group in Canada.
EGALE
2 Daly Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 6E2
(613) 230-1043
To continue with the status quo means we will continue to be
ignored.
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